Car coupling



CAR GOUPLING Filed Feb. 24, 1927 3 sheets-sheet l (jm/ventola 1 M3118,'1930. F. w. HENRlKsoN 1,751,154

CAR COUPLING Filed Feb. 24, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March. 1.8, 1930. F.w. HENRlKsoN CARl COUPLING Filed Feb. 24, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedMar. 18, 1930 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICEv f FRANK W. vHIEFN'RKSONI',OF MULIBERRY, KANSAS GAR COUPLING Application filed February 24, 1927.Serial No. 170,543.

' 15 ing member of another car. When employed with such mine cars it isparticularly adapted for the-automatic or semi-automatic operations ofdumping and recoupling. Astring of cars having couplings according tothe type of the present invention may be brought to a ramp leading to adumping mechanism, and may be disconnected from train, one by one, asthe individual car passes onto the ramp. The car may; then .pass downthe ramp, be received by the dumping mechanism, dumped and returned, andthen permitted tol run by a further ramp to a track on which the emptiesare assembled previousA to being returned to the mine for further loads.As each car approaches the last car in the string of empties, it isautomatically coupled thereto, so that thereafter the entire train maybe moved without further manual attention to the particular car.

This invention presents a device in which the vehicles may make turnsvor curves of.

very short radiuswithout a blocking by the link in either drawhead. Itmay be applied to either old or new cars without anyl great change intheconstructiom The Vlink member of the link drawhead is provided with anactuating mechanism whereby it is projected into the pin drawhead uponimpact ofthe two cars: and positive guides are provided for theVactuating linkage. Further a very stout construction is provided for thelink drawhead so that the draft stresses are transmitted fromdraftbeamto draft-beam without burden upon the actuating mechanism. Thelink is reversible, and its drawhead isfso constructed and arranged thatreversal may be accomplished without dismounting. i

Cushioningsprings are provided so 'that the shock at impact may beemployed to4v operate the actuating mechanism withoutun-v due strainthereon in the `event of a blockage.

The invention has been illustrated as applied to mine cars of thefour-wheel, shortbase type; since .withf such employment its qualitiesof i permitting the automatic. pinpresetting, and the traversing ofcurves of very short radius are clearly apparent.

Invthe illustrative form of the invention set forth on theaccompanyingdrawing: Figure 1V is a` plan view'of a carhaving thecoupling device associated therewith, and the cooperating ends of twofurther cars being indicated to show the draft system.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the` bumper stem and associated parts.

Fig. 3 1s a View of the other endofthe car, iv showing the link member.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through a link member on Aan enlargedscale.

Fig. 5 is a horizonal section substantially on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

In these figures, the car is represented as having a floor 10, thesides11 and the ends 12, 13. A truck 14 has suitablebearings to support theaxles and wheels 15, 15. According to the present invention,a metaldraft strip or beam 16 is fastened to the i' iioor of a car to transmitthe draft strain along the line of the train. `Adjacent the end Wall 12a casting is provided having the plate 17 which is bolted to the floorl() of the car and to the draft beam 16and carries at its outer end thelink draw head 18. At the opposite end, is disposed a similar castinghaving a plate 19, likewise bolted tok the floor 10 of the car and tothedraw beam 16, and having at the exterior of the car the pin drawhead 20.In Fig. 1, the similar parts of the car at the left hand, i. e., a carpresenting a link connection, are` indicated by the same referencenumerals with the suiiix a, the corresponding link drawhead being 18a,for example. The car at the right hand, having corresponding parts, islike- Wise given the same reference numerals With the superscript b, andthis car therefore has the pindrawhead 201.

The drawhead 18 .as shown in Fig. 3 has the laterally extending braceplates 18X, to stiffen and supportit at the car end beam l2". Itispreferred to form the Y:plates with reinforcingf'rlbs 'eXtendingtransversely of the car, vvith the vnotches or kerfs 18b therein openend.Y VBeneath' therbi'ght v22 is an actuatingbmnper 23 which is capableoffmovement longitudinally With respectto the draft beam andassociatedmembers. For this purpose, the bumper 23 has a square inwardly Yextending actuating stem 24 Aand the guide vstems 25, these stemsprojecting through apertures in aA depending flangeA 26 ofthe dravvhead18, and the stern24entering a cavity'in the Vlovver portion GfthisdraW-head.VV A reduced portion 24b of th .stem 24 has a lvertical slot 27therein, and Yits end is received in aslot 29 of a rectangular'actuating rod 3Q vWhich extends through Vfurther Aaperture Vinthedrawhead l8and has its innermost Vend in Contact with a Vcam 3l of theactuating lever This actuating lever 32 is journaled on a pin 33 carriedby the Walls of the dravvhead 18. A spring 34 isl connected to asuitable part of thev lever 32 at one end' and at its other end .issecured to a `pin35 fastened' to the dravvhe'ad 18.` At

its upper end, the lever .32 has an aperture to accommodate thelaterally'eitending end 36 of the actuating link 37, which may beriveted into position, and has at its other Vend a closedv oblong oroval eye 38 With the rib 38a', to receive the link L. This link L may beprepared inV-shape and passed through the eye 38 and around Vthe bight22, and then the ends Welded together .to close the link. This linkslides freely ina channel formedinthe drawhead 18, and is of asymmetrical closed form, and lits Vin theV eye 38 and aboutthe bight 22.'Vhen the strain is placed upon the' link L in train, it is 'drawnforward until the link L comes into 'contact with the inner face ofthebight 22,`

and thereafter the draft strain is transmitted l'from the link to thebight 22, thence to the drawhead 18, andto the car floor lOand draftbeam 16. Y s

The eye 38 closely tits the link L for movement backjandforth,'Whilepermitting a free swinging movement up `and down for.alinement.'

A pin 39 (Fig. 4) having reduced end portions'is passed through theactuating rod 30 and through the slot 27 of the stem portion Y 24, tohold these members in assembled re'- lationship. The central portion issubstantially the same lengthY as the thickness of the rounded portion28 of the rod 30.Y A

spiral 'spring 40 'is coigledjabout the `.rounded p inner end 24a of thestem 24 and presents one end over and around the portion 28-of the rod30 andthe central portion of the piny 39 (thereby holding the pin inplace) and exerts. a relative thrust between this pin 39 and theshoulders at the junction' of thel rounded and -squareportions of thestem 24, so that a resiliency is afforded against sudden impact upon the'bumper 23 to Yprevent a breakage of the associatedl parts, andtheen- Ygagement of spring 40 `against lthe rfr:a`.me

ment ofthebumper 23. n.

A groove 42 1s formed on the inner face of 0Vives a vdefinite limit tothe outward move` Y the bight 22 to receive the corresponding por.-

tion ofthe eye 38 and its guiding 'rib '38a which fills the groove 42,whereby the link is caused to act against the inner surface of theV eye`38 and the Abight 22Without injury to this eye 38,.V Which mayconsequently be made ofrelatively lightconstructi'onl This groove42 iscontinued along both the top and bottom of the cavity inthe dravvheadl`18 as the grooves 42a, 42", which receive and guide the'eye 38 of theactuating link3lfinfits movement. These grooves42a,p42bi,are Wide Y atthe rear or innerend to afford sideplay and lateral .swing for the linkLfznand converge `toward' the bight 22 to lguidejthe `eyef38 into thegro0v'e`42. l l y The link L itself slides on the floor of the cavity inthe linkdravv-head 18, and is'guided laterally by the cheeks ofthedrawhead 18,' andy When retracted, is returnedthereby to a centralposition as shown in thev figures. It Will be noted that theglinkdravvhead 18 has its clieeks43-fcut away enoughtoallow link L to beturned around `the axis of the i bight 22 so that the linkv Linaylbedrawn vto its eXtreme outmost position as shown by the dotted lines` Lmyin Fig. 5, and the link may then be rotated substantially .about thecenter of thebight22 and slidV laterally into a position such aslshovvnby'Lg/g The link maybe slid further and even reversed' in position if sodesired.

The lever arm ratio of of` the cam 3l is suchth'ata very slightmovefment ofthe bumper 23 Will cause afull pro'- jection of thevlink L. /Thispermits the slots 27 and 29 to be short, and allows thespring 40 toabsorb or cushion the movementl even in casethe link L be entirelyblocked against movement.. The, surface of cam 3l' isisuchf Vthat thisratiois greatest ',at the first movement,

n thelever132betiveen the separation of pivot pin33 and theoffset` iisandfsuccessively cheereasestsoV that fin conjunction With increasingretardationvovv'in'g CTI to the tension of spring 34, the link L movesmore and more slowly toward the end of its stroke.

At the' end of its movement, the bumper 23 seats itself in a pocket(Figs. 3 and 4) formed in the flange 26, and the final impact of thecars occurs between respective members solidly secured to the carbodies, and the cars may be pushed in train by direct engagement of thedrawheads against each other. Y

The drawhead 2O in Fig. 1 carries the coupling pin parts including theretraction link 6() engaged over the free end of the uncoupling lever'63 having the terminal laterally extending luv` 64 to preventdisengagement of the link 60 from the lever 63. The lever 63 is fixed tothe actuating shaft 64', which it self is journaled in the clips 65fastened to the end of the car. A handle 67 is provided -in this shaftfor manual operation'in the usual manner while the cover plate 68 aboutthe steinl of the retraction link serves to protect the drawhead 20against the entry of dirt at its top.

|The method of coupling between two cars having the parts as describedlis as follows:

The car having its link coupling parts in the position shown in fulllines in Figs. 4 and 5, the car Vis brought forcibly against a carhaving a pin Coupling whereby a downwardly extending lip on the pindrawhead encounters the actuating bumper 23 on the link drawhead. Thebumper 23 is driven forcibly inward or to the left in 4, transmittingits movement to the actuating rod 30, which in turn acts upon thesurface of the cam 31 of the actuating lever 32, and against the actionof the spring 34 causes this lever 32 to rock clockwise about its pivot33 whereby a thrust is delivered through the actuating link to thecorresponding car link L, which is f projected forcibly from itsdrawhead 18. Since this link L is by construction in alinement with themouth of the pin drawhead 20b of the other car the link L enters thismouth and encounters the coupling detent therein, so that the pin Pb isallowed to fall by gravity and enter the aperture of the coupling linkL. The coupling has now been made, and when the cars are drawn apart intrain, the link L will be engaged with the bight 22 on its own drawheadand with the pin Pb on the pin drawhead, whereby the draft stress istransmitted solidly from the draw beam of the one car to the draw beamof the next car, without any undue strain upon the relatively delicateactuating members. During this operation of coupling, if the pindrawhead is blocked, the spring 40 will take up the strain until thecars move away from each other, whereby a breakage of the actuatingmembers is avoided. As soon as the cars separate from each other, thespring 34 will take up the slack in the link L and prevent looseness orrattling of this member. Further, the shock when the link L encountersthe pin coupling detent and drives it to the end of its travel islikewise taken upV by the spring 40. J

The operation of uncoupling consists merely in raising the pin Pb untilitdisengages the link L, which is then immediately retracted by itsspring-34, and thecars are free .from oneanother.

The link L is aorded great freedom of movement about its bight 22, sothat the cars maypass around curves of very short radius,

without any blocking by engagement ofthe link L with the cheek walls43of the'link therein to receive the link when retracted and includingan integral bight` passing through the link to receivethejdraftstresses,

the floor of said cavity having a groove there# l in, an actuating linkembracing said vcoupling link and guldedflbyl sa1dgroove,"and meansactuated upon impact` with another vehicle to operate said actiiatinglink to pro` ject said coupling link. 1

2. In a pin and link coupling, a link drawi head fastened to the-end ofthe vehicle, a coupling link, a bumper, and devicesfconnected to saidbumper to project saidV link upon impact of another vehicle,said"meansincluding a lrod and cam mechanism wherebythe rate of saidprojectionprogressively ,decreases with increments o f movement of 3. In a pinandlinkcoupling la "link drawhead fastened vto the end Aof l,thevehicle, a coupling link, a bumper having an inwardly extendingactuating stem with a slot therein, an actuating rod in extension ofsaid stem, a spring engaging said stem and rod to force them normallyapart, said rod having an ap-v y erture therein in alinement with saidslot, a

pin in said aperture to limit the movement of separation of sai-d stemand said rod and to guide said stem and said rod in their relativemovements, and devices actuated by the movement of said rod to projectsaid coupling link.

4. In a pin and link coupling, a link drawhead fastened to the end ofthe vehicle, a coupling link, a member on said drawhead to receive thedraft stress of said coupling link, and an actuating link to projectsaid coupling link, said member having a groove in its inward face tocomplement said actuating link and to receive vthe corresponding portionof the same whereby said 'actuating link is freed from the draft stress.

V5.- In a pingandlink coupling, a link drawhead, -ay coupling link insaid drawhead, meansto retract said coupling link into said drawhead inthe absence of draft stress thereon, and a member on said drawhead tocooperate Withsaid couplinglink to transmit the draft stress, the cheeksof said draWhead being cut awa-y inward of said member so that saidcoupling link may be drawn out and O Vrotated about said member toreversed position. Y Y

6. In a pin and link coupling, a link drawhead astenedto the end of thevehicle, va coupling link, a bumper having an inwardly extendingactuating stem With a slot therein, an actuating rod in extension ofsaid stem and telescoping therewith, a spring engaging said stem vateneof its ends, said rod hav- Y ing an aperture therein in alinement Withsaid slot, a pin linsaid aperture to limit the movement of separation ofsaid stem and'said Y rod, said spring bearingagainst the ends of vsaidwpin yfor arelative reaction against said -rod,.andfdevices actuatedby the movement of saidV rod to projectsaid coupling link.

In a pin and link coupling, a link drawhead Yfastened to the end of thevehicle, a coupling link,`a bumper having an inwardly pextendingactuating'stem'with a slot therein, an actuating rod-inextension of said stem Y telescoping therewith, said rod havingV anaperture therethrough in alinement With Y said slot, a pin projectingthrough said apertureand'slot and having eXtended end vpor-` tions andabody portion of substantially the thickness ofsaid roda spring engagingat one; end against said stem and at the other Y v end fitting over saidrod and said body por.- tio-Irand reacting against the extended end 40portionsofsaid pin, an-d devices actuated by the longitudinalv movementof said stem and rod to project said coupling link.

Inrtestimonywhereof, I aHiXgmy signature.

1 FRANK W. IIENRIKSON.

